Page 40 of The Wildcat

Still doesn’t mean I’m not scared of giving him the power to hurt me.

But maybe...maybeI need to try and take a few baby steps.

With his okay, I wrap my hand around hers. “Lead the way, kiddo.”

Her little body vibrates with excitement as she starts to chatter. “Aunty Bellamy and me were watching Rapunzel. I likeher better than Cinderella. Her prince is Flynn Ryder. He’s the bestest.”

I look over my shoulder at Cross and mouth,Told you so.

“He sure is, kiddo.”

CROSS

“Well, she’s a smoke show and a ball buster.” Ares watches Kerrigan lead Everly out of the kitchen. “Any chance she’s got a sister?”

“She’s got a twin sister,” I tell him, only partially paying attention as I move across the kitchen so I can see my girls sitting down together on the couch. Because whether that woman in the other room knows it yet, she’s my girl.

Ares whistles. “Seriously?”

“She’s got three brothers too. She’s a Sinclair,” Bellamy tells him as I sway with Jax in my arms, enjoying the way my quiet, shy daughter is talking to Everly like they’re old friends. She’s not whispering. She’s smiling like it’s Christmas morning and Everly’s her very own doll.

“What’s a Sinclair?” My brother asks, completely confused, and Everly giggles from the couch, then catches my eye from across the room and smiles the most beautiful smile. Guess she can hear us.

Bellamy groans in frustration. “Her dad is Declan Sinclair, and her grandfather is the Kings coach.”

“How the fuck do you know that?” Ares bitches.

“Because Caitlin’s family and her family are good friends.” That gets my attention.

“What?” I turn and look at my sister. “Really? Your friend from school?”

“Yeah. Cait’s mom owns Sweet Temptations, and she’s best friends with Everly’s mom.”

Now the woman smiling at me when I ordered the coffee makes sense.

“They’re all basically Kroydon Hills royalty. Do you even pay attention? Cait’s brother, Maddox, owns West End, and she says he and Everly live in the same building,” Bellamy adds, and another piece of the puzzle falls into place.

“The bartender,” I groan.

“Yeah,” Bellamy takes a pan of lasagna out of the fridge and pops it in the oven. “They’re all friends.”

“Dude. She’s hot, and she knows sports. You better lock that shit down.”

Jax waves his teether around and accidentally smacks Ares in the face while I laugh. “You know you’re a douche, right?”

The fucker smiles. “It’s one of my better qualities.”

“I’ll just let you keep thinking that.”

One burned lasagna, a spilled jar of apples, and a very long toddler meltdown at bedtime later, and I finally walk quietly downstairs with the baby monitor in my hand to find Cinderella wiping down the counter in a quiet kitchen. She lost her heels at some point during the night, and after an unfortunate encounter with a less than enthusiastic Jax and a jar of corn that splattered all over her white blouse, one ofmy t-shirts is now hanging off her gorgeous body, covering her skirt, stopping mid-thigh.

She’s fucking gorgeous.

I move in behind her and grip the counter, bracing my hands on either side of her body, and Everly sucks in a breath. “What are you doing, Cinderella?” I run my lips over her ear and enjoy the way she shivers in my arms. “There’s no evil stepmother here. You don’t have to clean.”

Everly drops the rag to the counter and leans her head back against my shoulder. “I don’t know... I’m wearing rags,” she murmurs back with a low, sexy, teasing tone to her sultry voice.

“Hey, it’s loved, not rags.” I slide my hands to her hips, then spin her around and boost her up to sit on the counter. Her gorgeous eyes grow wide. They’re more turquoise now with flecks of green dotting her irises. “I’ll have you know that the Wildcats were my high-school hockey team, and we were the Main State Champs three years in a row.”

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